As a little girl, Jennifer Bullock wanted a career in music. She told the family physician about her aspirations, and he gently suggested that she pursue a career in medicine instead. Eventually, Bullock became a nurse.A Colorado native, born and raised in Colorado Springs, Bullock attended Evans Elementary, Horizon Middle School and Falcon High School.After she graduated from high school in 1995, she was accepted as a vocal major at the University of Northern Colorado. ìI didnít have the money,î she said. ìI kind of always felt that if I become a vocal major and teach, will I hate music after this?î So Bullock enrolled full-time at Pikes Peak Community College; and, after two years, transferred to the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, where she studied nursing. In 2003, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in nursing.After graduation, Bullock worked in the neonatal intensive care unit at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs, where she cared for premature and ill babies.ìMoms are really nervous, and you are their support system,î she said.Even before attending college and becoming a nurse, Bullock married Mike Bullock, whom she had met in high school. Although he lived in California when they met, Mr. Bullock returned to Colorado Springs to attend UCCS. After reconnecting, the two married June 8, 1996. In 2005, the Bullocks welcomed their first son, Joshua. Two years later, Jonah was born. In 2010, daughter Marissa arrived, and Bullock decided to become a stay-athome mom.Later, she thought about going back to nursing but it just wasnít her calling, she said. Bullock felt drawn to music. ìAs a child, I always said I was going to be a singer. It has always been something I loved.îBullock said the years when she didnít pursue music were like ìa piece of herî was missing. ìI lost myself,î she said. ìIt wasnít intentional; itís just that life happens. I just felt the responsible thing to do was to get your degree and get a good job.îDeciding that life was too short, Bullock began following her dream and started writing song lyrics. ìI used to secretly write lyrics and thought it was kind of weird,î she said. ìBut I know I can write songs, so I started doing it again.î In 2009, Bullock wrote song lyrics as an anniversary gift to her husband.That summer, Bullock met up with a high school friend, Alison McAffrey, who played the keyboard. The pair decided to collaborate and began writing songs together. ìWe went down to her basement one day where she had her keyboard, and we wrote the worst song ever,î she said.After several months, the duo recorded two new songs at a studio in Canon City, Colorado. They recorded just vocals and piano, and the studio owner offered to add drums and bass tracks. ìIt wasnít what we wanted,î Bullock said. ìIt just sounded terrible.î Bullock said they realized they needed their own band.In 2010, Mike Bullock gave his wife equipment to record her own music. Bullock and McAffrey started working on their first single, ìRumor,î at the beginning of 2011. ìWe were also extremely neurotic,î she said. ìEvery time we wrote songs we would copyright them like someone was going to steal them.î Bullock said they were always saying they could leave ìno stone unturned;î thus, they named their band, ìNo Stone Unturned.îThrough Facebook, Bullock reconnected with a high school friend, Joe Sharketti, who played the guitar. ìOne day he called me on the phone and we chatted and talked shop about music,î she said. ìHe had been doing a lot of stuff and sent me some tracks.îIn May 2012, the band was getting ready to perform at their first gig, and Bullock asked Sharketti and drummer Evan Danforth to join the band. They played at various local venues to get their name out while Bullock and McAffrey continued to write songs. In January 2014, they met Mike Manthei of Somewhere Else Studio in Colorado Springs and discussed recording their songs and eventually making an album.Not long after a recording studio meeting, Sharketti quit the band, and Bullock looked for a replacement. After a few phone calls, Bullock recruited Bill Lane. The band practiced every week for several months to bring Lane up to speed before they could record.By the beginning of May, the band completed their recordings. On Aug. 5, ìNo Stone Unturnedî released their debut album, ìOnly Humans.îIt has taken several years to get where she is today, but Bullock reflects on the long journey and her experience with the band. ìIt is the biggest adrenaline rush,î she said. ìIt is the most fun. Thereís nothing else like it.îNo Stone Unturnedís ìOnly Humansî is available on numerous venues, including iTunes, Amazon, Google Music, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud and YouTube.
